As a competent Madison County personal injury attorney, you need to be very familiar with and capable to practice in any jurisdiction in Illinois. Federal courts get a lot of the glitz and glamour, but county courts get a lot more of the actual caseload. Also, plaintiffs will expect their counsel to be fluent in whatever local rules and other demands their county places on their case and this will require you to understand them before their trials begin.

Though well far south of Chicago, Madison County continues to be a common setting for litigation in Illinois. Thus, the following sections will provide you with critical information on its courts with respect to important procedural requirements, relevant statistics, and information on Madison County case valuation. Naturally, if you have more concerns or questions on any of these issues, call us right away. An attorney from the Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC group would love to help you!

Madison County Statistics Regarding Accident & Malpractice Cases

Statistics in isolation cannot completely answer any question you might have regarding your personal injury case in Madison County, Illinois. Yet, this does not however mean that we should cast them aside entirely; rather, they should be used with a number of other factors to determine when and how to go about trying your case.

They are more effectively utilized when you break them down by accident and injury. The following statistics regarding recovery of past Illinois plaintiffs are categorized in that fashion (by jury award and settlement amount combined).

Madison County Profile

Now, we want to provide you with some relevant facts and statistics that should give you greater insight into the nature and character of Madison County courts. By no means is this a complete set, we merely laid out the figures that we thought would be most indicative of the profile of Madison County courts. Hopefully, by reviewing these paragraphs with your attorney, you will come to a better sense of what compensation might be available for you.

MEDICAL MALPRACTICE

Median recovery for medical malpractice victims in MADISON County was approximately $15,000.

Compared to the state average, these victims recovered a little under half as much-about 40%.

The victim in this case was a child and the defendants were the physician, hospital, and facility that delivered her. It was a medical malpractice action. The suit alleged that the defendant doctors applied too much force in delivering the child and that because of that exertion she was born with shoulder dystocia and other related injuries.

Through her parents, the child sought damages for medical expenses, pain and suffering, disability, disfigurement, and other harms. The defendants all denied that they were at fault and contended that they treated the child and her mother with the proper standard of care. However, the jury still awarded the infant $200,000 for the following damages:

The plaintiff in this medical malpractice dispute was a laborer at a stone quarry. He slipped and fell off a truck and was taken to the hospital. According to his subsequent allegations, the doctors that treated him for this injury performed an unnecessary fusion surgery in his neck.

Due to this procedure, he suffered from a loss in range, constant pain, and an inability to work. He sought damages related to these claims. The defendants all contended that the operations were all completely necessary and executed flawlessly. Therefore, the matter of fault felt to the jury where they sided with the victim to the tune of $1,784,000:

This wrongful death action was brought nearly five years after the victim in question saw the doctor that was actually sued. The complaint alleged that the defendant doctor failed to diagnose treat the patient’s bladder cancer and that because of this failure the man lost a chance of survival. The physician claimed that the plaintiff did not have this disease when he was under his care so the matter went forward to trial.

The jury decided that the plaintiff did have cancer while under the doctor’s care, that the doctor misdiagnosed the illness, and that that misdiagnosis injured the plaintiff by either causing his death or reducing his chance of survival. The decedent-plaintiff was in his late fifties and was survived by a wife and children. They awarded him $470,000.

In this accident, a mental health patient was being transported from a hospital to another facility when he gained control of an ambulance, drove off, and crashed into another car. He died at the scene of the accident. His mother brought a wrongful death action on his behalf against the company responsible for his transfer.

The lawsuit complained that they did not properly secure him from danger and otherwise negligently cared for him such that they should be responsible for his death. The defendant company did not buy this story. In their opinion, the decedent was still under the control of the hospital and that he should have been properly identified as a flight risk.

Therefore, they refused all culpability and the controversy went to a jury. The men and women of the jury brought back a verdict for the weeping mother in the amount of $2,350,000:

The man who brought this action crashed into the back of a truck as he rode down an undivided highway. He claimed that he did not see the other vehicle because it did not have its lights on and had not otherwise signal its presence. However, the defendant truck driver replied that the plaintiff was at fault because he was driving too fast and should have seen him parked.

In the alternative, the defendant said that the accident was beyond his control and he could not be held liable because his car had stalled. Though both sides disagreed vehemently on who was at fault, this did not stop from settling the case and moving on. The plaintiff received $600,000.

The claimant in this action was a railroad employee. While working one day, he tried entering a car but slipped and fell injuring his neck and back. He underwent surgery and extensive medical care and rehabilitation to correct the injuries. He sued his employer, the railroad company, for the circumstances that led to the car accident.

He alleged that they should have provided a better working environment to prevent this accident. The company responded that his damages were exaggerated and that he waited several years before receiving medical care thereby exacerbating the harms. The jury awarded the employee $1,975,725.

The bicyclist in this case was newly minted teenager. He was riding his bike around a construction site in Edwardsville, Illinois when he ran smack into a beam that he did not see. The collision seriously injured his face, brain, and ears. Additionally, it materially impacted his future earning capacity and quality of life.

He sued the owner of the construction site through his parents and alleged that they negligently controlled the area. Surprisingly, the defendant admitted it was at fault during the course of trial so the only controversial issue was how much damages the boy was entitled to. The jury decided on $910,000: $185,000 for medical expenses and $725,000 for general compensatory damages.

A 14-year-old tried to dodge a hole on a street by swerving around it on his bike but this adverse impact of sending him straight into the path of a car. He was flung from the bicycle and sustained numerous injuries including a cerebral hematoma, broken teeth, multiple lacerations, and other injuries all over his body.

He sued the utility company that was responsible for the roads and claimed that it was it liable to him for his injuries due to its negligent supervision and maintenance of the street in questions. That defendant turned around and blamed the highway commission for the affair. The jury split the matter down the middle and found the utility company and the boy 50%. Thus, the child’s $2,714,000 jury award was reduced to $1,357,000.

The victim in this dispute was a truck driver and 37 years old. She was waiting to turn when two cars in front of her crashed and collided into her vehicle. From this accident, she sustained soft tissue injuries to her back and shoulder. Both defendants pointed their finger at each other but neither blamed the plaintiff.

Therefore, it is not surprising that she won but it might be surprising that she only received $14,500 from the jury especially because she claimed almost $100,000 in damages.

A 41-year-old pedestrian was hit from behind by a pickup truck and filed a lawsuit against the driver. She claimed that he failed to stay alert, yield to her, and otherwise avoid causing the accident. She suffered a severe brain injury resulting in amnesia, significant personality disorders, and extraordinary medical bills.

The defendant driver claimed that the woman darted out into traffic and that he had no time to turn prior to hitting her. However, ignoring the $50,000 demand that the plaintiff made before trial, the jury felt compelled to award the woman $272,469 at the close of the case.

The plaintiff in this case was a passenger on a motorcycle that was riding down Illinois Highway 203. A driver on the right-hand side cut them off by turning left which forced the motorcyclist to veer away and crash with another car.

The female plaintiff sued all three drivers involved and demanded $50,000 from them collectively. She claimed that they were each negligent and responsible for her injuries that included soft tissue damage to her legs and arms as well as scars across her face. A jury awarded her $37,265.

Here, a woman pulled out of her driveway in a PT Cruiser and smacked right into a motorcyclist that was riding past at the same time. The man sued the woman for negligence and denied damages from the various injuries that resulted including soft tissue damage, property damage, and pain and suffering.

The woman replied that the plaintiff was not paying attention himself was the cause of the accident. The jury seemed convinced at least a bit by both arguments because they gave the man $58,825 as well as 49% of the blame. Therefore, he only netted $30,001 in recovery.

The plaintiff in this case was a child. She was invited over to a friends’ house and was playing in their backyard when the hosts’ dog attacked her. Prior to the encounter, the dog-a large Black Labrador- had escaped the home and was wondering around the neighborhood. Through her representatives, she sued the owners pursuant to the Illinois Animal Control Statute. The jury awarded her $140,000 for the following items:

The victim of this dog attack was a 60-year-old private investigator. In the course of one of his investigations, he visited a shop. The owner of the facility had a dog chained to a post and it attacked the man as he walked through the entrance. The investigator sued the shop owner under the Illinois Animal Control Act for his injuries that included a torn rotator cuff and various lacerations.

The defendant owner claimed that he told the plaintiff to remain outside until he could secure the dog safely but the man refused his instructions. The jury believed the plaintiff’s narrative and awarded him $174.395:

This accident in an Edwardsville nursing home ended in the death of one of its residents. The woman died from an apparent overdose of Duragesic consumed through a pain patch that a nurse applied to her. In the subsequent lawsuit, the decedent’s representatives claimed that the facility and its employees improperly prescribed her medication and were responsible for her death.

The defendant nursing home at first denied responsibility, then blamed a third party, and then finally accepted the blame but denied that they actually caused the woman’s death. The jury was not convinced. The plaintiff’s estate received $223,608:

The nursing home resident at the center of this controversy fell out of bed and suffered various injuries to her head, neck, and other parts of her body. She sued the nursing home in focus and claimed that their care was substandard, that they should have put in place a plan to prevent this, and that they were responsible for her damages.

The defendant denied this chain of reasoning and articulated that the woman was contributorily negligent for falling in the first place for falling and for failing to mitigate her damages following the accident. The jury returned a verdict of $58,879 for the resident.

Have a Question Regarding a Madison County Case?

While you can never anticipate when a situation will arise that results in harm to yourself or a loved one, the decisions you make in its aftermath will have an impact on your legal rights and ability to recover. Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC appreciates your concerns and need for immediate attention. We invite you to contact our office for a free review of your case with a legal team experienced with Madison County, Illinois cases.

For information on our legal practice in certain cities within Madison County, view the pages below.

“Too many lawyers try pass you off to another person in their office to answer questions. Not Jonathan. I have already referred some family members to Jonathan for their injury cases. I consider Jonathan both my lawyer and my friend.”- Annie

Jonathan Rosenfeld was professionally objective, timely, and knowledgeable. Also, his advice was extremely effective regarding my case. In addition, Jonathan was understanding and patient pertaining to any of my questions or concerns. I was very happy with the end result and I highly recommend Jonathan Rosenfeld. Michonne Proulx

★★★★★

Extremely impressed with this law firm. They took control of a bad motorcycle crash that left my uncle seriously injured. Without any guarantee of a financial recovery, they went out and hired accident investigators and engineers to help prove how the accident happened. I am grateful that they worked on a contingency fee basis as there was no way we could have paid for these services on our own. Ethan Armstrong

★★★★★

This lawyer really helped me get compensation for my motorcycle accident case. I know there is no way that I could have gotten anywhere near the amount that Mr. Rosenfeld was able to get to settle my case. Thank you. Daniel Kaim

★★★★★

Jonathan helped my family heal and get compensation after our child was suffered a life threatening injury at daycare. He was sympathetic and in constant contact with us letting us know all he knew every step of the way. We were so blessed to find Jonathan! Giulia

★★★★★

Jonathan did a great job helping my family navigate through a lengthy lawsuit involving my grandmother's death in a nursing home. Through every step of the case, Jonathan kept my family informed of the progression of the case. Although our case eventually settled at a mediation, I really was impressed at how well prepared Jonathan was to take the case to trial. Lisa

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